Pure Latex Bliss Pamper and back pain

[phoenix]

Hi KinFol,

Can a mattress be “too firm”?

Absolutely. A mattress is a balance between pressure relieving layers that are softer and support layers that are firmer. You can read more about this in the “basic functions of a mattress” overview and the other overviews in the mattresses section of the site. A mattress that has comfort layers that are too thin may not isolate you from the firmness of the support layers below them and this can cause either pressure issues or alignment issues (see this diagram)

We got our Pure Latex Bliss Pamper mattress about a month ago (it’s the newer, “blue” version). We like the feeling of a firm mattress, which is what led us to select the Pamper. But recently I have been waking up with some lower back pain. In my entire life (55), I’ve never had a problem with back pain before.

Again … this could be because you are not sleeping in alignment or “twisting” away from excess pressure when you are on your side.

However, I wonder if the problem is not the mattress, but perhaps the pillow? In the 4 weeks since we’ve had this mattress, I’ve used about half a dozen different pillows. I’ve yet to try one that I find entirely comfortable. My old pillow didn’t work, as it felt too low with this mattress. (Our old mattress had a 2" memory foam topper, so we sunk down in it a bit. With the Pamper there’s no sinking, so it feels like I need a higher pillow.) I wake up with a stiff neck every morning, so I know the pillow is a problem, I’m just not sure yet what to do about it.

Lower back issues are not usually connected to a pillow but stiff neck issues or upper back issues certainly could be and a pillow that keeps your head and neck in alignment is an important part of your overall sleeping system.

I used to sleep about 75% on my side, 25% on my back. However, since getting the Pamper, I cannot sleep on my back at all, as it starts to hurt in just a few moments. But I can’t be sure of the cause: A too-firm mattress? Or an incorrect pillow?

While it’s not possible to accurately “diagnose” the many issues that can happen on a mattress at a distance … especially without any reference points or more information about your height/weight and body type and the types of mattresses you are used to sleeping on … the odds are good that the mattress may be too firm for you in the sense that the comfort layer (the top 2" layer of soft latex which is on top of the firmer 6" support core) is too soft and thin and isn’t providing enough pressure relief (on your side) or secondary support to the recessed curves of your spine (on your back). It could also be that the difference between the Pamper and what you are used to is so big that you need an adjustment period for your body to get used to a new sleeping surface. A few posts that may also be worth reading that may help you understand what could be appenning includes this one about learned and natural alignment and this one about layering.

TD-Max’s suggestion to go into the store and evaluate the store model for alignment (hopefully with some help) is also a good one IMO. This page along with post #11 here talk about testing for alignment. Even testing other mattresses that are out of your price range can be very useful to see what type of layering may work best for you but I suspect that the issue is likely that the Pamper has a comfort layer that is too thin and soft for you and you may need to add a topper to get to the feel and performance that is ideal for you.

Phoenix